United We Stand, Apart We Fall!
by I LOVE HORSES FOREVER
Summary: Stefan gets attacked while hunting and what should be a simple recovery becomes much more complicated. Will Damon save him in time? Or will it be the end for one of the Salvatore Brothers? Some serious Hurt! Stefan to come with a very protective and caring Damon. Please read and review! Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Stefan was in pain; so much pain. Every single part of him ached and he could barely keep his eyes open. All he wanted was his brother, but Damon was miles away, back at Mystic Falls while Stefan was lying in a wood in the middle of nowhere, unable to move.

He gritted his teeth as yet enough torrent of pain cascaded over. God, how he wished his brother was here. "Damon", he moaned. "Please, I need you!" But of course Damon didn't come. How could he even know where Stefan was? The last time the brothers had seen each other was a few hours ago after Stefan left to catch some food. Damon probably didn't even expect anything was wrong with his brother.

Stefan knew he was in a very bad way; he could feel blood seeping from the many bullet wounds that littered his body and he could both feel and see that his leg and arm were sticking out at very unusual angles. Stefan also knew that he should be healing by now; so why wasn't he? What had happened? One moment he was preparing to pounce on a deer; the next he was opening his eyes in incredible pain.

As Stefan lay on the ground, pondering how on earth he had ended up in this position, a new level of pain hit him. Pain shot up through his body and every nerve was on fire! He had never experienced pain like it; "This is it," he thought. "I'm dying". His last thought was of his brother before everything went dark...!

 **So, what do you think? This is my first ever story so please review; I would love some feedback! Of course, constructive criticism is always welcome! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **The Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon tried Stefan's phone again for what must have been the twentieth time. " Answer, damm it!" he muttered as once again Stefan's voicemail sounded in his ear. Something was wrong; Damon could sense it. He may not always get on with his brother but if something was wrong with Stefan, then Damon always seemed to know. It was like he had a big brother alarm system inside him which always went off if Stefan was hurt or in danger. And right now, the alarm was going crazy!

When Stefan didn't return afer a few hours of setting off to replenish his blood supply, Damon just assumed that he gone to visit Caroline or Elena. However, after ringing every one of Stefan's friends, he discovered that Stefan had not been to visit anyone. At that point alarm bells began to ring in Damon's mind but he had concluded that Stefan had gone somewhere to be on his own for a while. After all, their lives were pretty stressful at the moment and perhaps Stefan needed time to do what Stefan does best: Brood.

It had now been over 12 hours since anyone last saw Stefan and the alarm bells were in overdrive! Damon was seriously beginning to worry; where was his little brother? Damon wasn't sure if he would cope if anything happened to him. He may never admitt it to anyone but he cared a great deal about his brother and didn't know if he could live without him. So, he currently had everyone he knew searching for Stefan while he tried to get hold of his brother. However, so far he had had no luck and was getting more and more worried with every passing hour!

As he rang Stefan's phone once again, he sent out a silent plea to the Universe: "Please let my brother be ok!"  
 **Hey guys! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews; they are really inspiring me to keep writing. I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer so please keep reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoy :)!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapeter 3

 **A wood on the outskirts of Mystic Falls.**

Stefan was dimly aware of something vibrating against his leg. As he became more aware, he realised it was phone. Cautiously, he went to move his arm to retreieve his phone from his pocket and screamed as intense pain shot up his arm. The memories came flooding back; waking up in pain, crying for his brother and then that incredible pain that made him feel like he was dying. Stefan was really surprised that he was still alive; he had never felt pain like that before.

Throughout Stefan's recollection , his phone had continued to vibrate against his leg; Stefan was rather shocked that it had survived the attack that had caused him to end up in this position . Nonetheless, he was very glad that it had as it was probably the only way that anyone was going to find him. Pain was still shooting through Stefan's body but he knew that he somehow had to answer it. Using his right arm was out of the question so he very gently manouvered his left arm out from underneath him and gave it a cautious wiggle. When he recieved no more than a slight twinge for his efforts, he then proceeded to shift his body so that he was no longer lying on the pocket that his phone was in. Moving his body was pure agony, every muscle was on fire and his left leg felt like it was going to explode but Stefan gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain until he was in a position where he could reach his phone. Somehow he managed to slide it out of his pocket but he was almost sobbing by the time he managed to press the answer button...

 **The Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon felt like crying with relief when, after 50 missed calls, Stefan picked up. "Where the hell are you Stefan!" Damon yelled, anger masking his fear and worry. "I've had half the town searching for you! Why didn't you answer any of my calls?". Damon waited for Stefan's reply; "You better have a good excuse, brother," he thought to himself.

"Stefan, are you there?" he asked after several seconds when there was still no reply. A very weak voice came over the line.

"Damon...? Please, it hurts!" Stefan practically sobbed. Damon's breath caught in his throat; he had never heard his brother sound so weak and vulnerable before in his life.

"Stefan! Tell me what's wrong!"

"Damon...I...can't...breathe..! Please...help...me!" Damon was terrified; Stefan sounded as if he was dying.

"Stefan, tell me where you are and I can come and help you!" There was no reply! "Stefan!" Damon begged. "Answer me" Still no reply!

Damon felt physically sick. He could not stop the thought that his brother was dead from running through his mind. He almost broke down when, at last, he heard a weak groan on the other end of the phone.

"Stefan, tell me where you are!" Damon demanded again.

"In...the...wood...just...outside...Mystic...Falls," Stefan gasped in reply. "Please...come...quickly...it...hurts so much!"

"It's ok Stef, I am on my way. Keep talking to me ok?" Damon told his brother as he began to run towards the wood. A loud moan was his reply and then a scream that made his blood boil.

"DAMON!" Stefan cried.

" Stefan! What is it?" Damon quickened his pace. But the phone had gone silent. "Hang in there brother" Damon yelled as he put on an extra burst of speed, fear consuming him. "I will be there soon!"

 **So, how was that? Did you enjoy? I tried to make this chapter much more detailed! Please keep reviewing as it really does encourage me to keep writing! Thank you :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **A wood on the outskirts of Mystic Falls**

It took Damon less than five minutes to reach the wood which Stefan had been taking about. During that five minutes, Damon had, unsuccessfully, tried to get some response from his brother. But since that blood-curdling scream, Stefan had been frighteningly quiet. A mantra of "Please let him be ok!" was running through his head as he entered the wood.

Damon paused for a moment, letting his heightened senses lead him to his brother. He had never wanted to become a vampire but as he caught a whiff of his brother's blood, he had never been so grateful for his vampire abilities in his life. Letting his nose be his guide, Damon sped off in the direction of his brother becoming increasingly more worried as the sheer smell of Stefan's blood assaulted his senses. What had happened to his brother?

When Damon finally found his brother and saw the state he was in, Damon could have swore that his undead heart stopped for a few seconds. "Stefan" he breathed as he threw himself to the ground beside his brother.

Stefan looked dreadful; his chest was covered in blood which was still leaking out of the many wounds that covered him. His arm and leg were sticking out at incredibly odd angles and Damon felt sick when he noticed something that suspiciously resembled a bone, poking out of Stefan's arm. Every muscle in his body was taunt with pain and tremors shook him every few seconds. With trembling hands, Damon searched for a pulse; it was there but worryingly weak. Damon let a shaky sigh of relief before proceeding to attempt to rouse his unconscious brother.

Gently, Damon took Stefan's head in his hands. "Stefan!" he said. "Come on, open your eyes brother!". But Stefan's eyes remained tightly shut. God, his brother was stubborn sometimes. "Come on Stefan...please?" As he uttered these words, Stefan's eyes slowly fluttered open. Stefan took a few minutes to become aware of his surroundings before his gaze fell on his brother.

"Damon...you...found...me.." Stefan murmured, the pain taking his breath away.

"Course I did little brother. I will always find you" Damon replied. If Stefan had been in less pain, he would have been shocked at the care and love in Damon's voice (Damon was not one to voice his feelings); however right now, Damon could have kissed Stefan and Stefan would not have noticed. The only thought running through his head, was that his brother was here and, therefore, everything would be alright!

"Please...Damon...it hurts!" Stefan groaned as pain shot through his body.

"I know Stef," Damon comforted, gently stroking his brother's cheek. "You're going to be ok, I promise, but first, we have to get you home." Damon carefully laid his brother's head back onto the ground before standing up so that he could assess how to lift him without causing too much pain. In the end, he decided that he was going to hurt Stefan no matter what so being as careful and gentle as he could; he reached one hand underneath Stefan's legs and the other round his back, swinging him up into a fireman's lift. This slight movement caused Stefan to howl in pain.

"God, I'm so sorry Stefan!" Damon exclaimed. " I have to get you home though and this is the only way!"

"It...hurts..," Stefan panted, his voice sounding impossibly weaker.

"I know Stef, I know." Damon replied, his heart breaking for the younger vampire. Damon knew that the journey home was going to be pure agony for his brother and Damon certainly didn't want to cause his brother any more pain, but there was not a lot that could be done.

Damon set off, moving as steadily as possible to keep Stefan from being jostled on his shoulders. This however, proved to be impossible. The wood was not the easiest place to walk and more than once Damon tripped, cursing as he tried in vain to prevent his brother from feeling any pain. Each time this happened, Stefan would let out a tear-inducing whimper before burying his head in his brother's shoulder, praying for anything that would take the pain away.

After a particularly nasty fall, Damon felt his brother slip back into unconsciousness. He was partly glad for this as it meant he could now quicken his pace and get Stefan home sooner. As soon as the Salvatore Boarding house came into sight, Damon felt a small sense of relief; at least now he could properly care for his brother.

Damon burst through the door, heading straight for Stefan's bedroom, checking for any heartbeats as he ran. There were none which Damon was glad for as it meant he would have no distractions when looking after his brother. As carefully as he could, Damon lay his brother onto the bed; this caused Stefan a cry of pain even though he was unconscious.

"You're going to be ok now little brother." Damon promised, partly to reassure Stefan and partly to reassure himself. He had never been so scared in his life when he had found Stefan lying prone on the forest floor but now was not the time to be dwelling on the past; now was the time for Damon to fully step into his big brother shoes and take care of his little brother. And to do that, the first thing Stefan needed was: blood!

"I will be back in a moment Stef," Damon told him and with that sped off towards the cellar.

 **Hey guys! Are you enjoying so far? Thanks once again for all your fantastic comments. I know I keep saying this but they really do encourage me to keep going with my story. I would like to apologise if Damon or Stefan seem a bit OOC in my story; I do try to keep them as realistic to their characters as possible but sometimes I get carried away as I love their bond so much! Please keep reading and reviewing! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **The Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon had grabbed some blood and was back by his brother's side in less than a minute. When Damon had first found his brother, what had puzzled him even more than how Stefan had ended up in that position; was why wasn't his brother healing? In the end, Damon had concluded that Stefan had not eaten which had, therefore, slowed down his healing ablities. "Come on, Stef," Damon coaxed."You have to feed so that you can heal."

 **Stefan's POV**

Stefan was currently floating in a pain-free haze; he wanted nothing more to stay there, away from the almost unbearable pain that he knew would course through his body as soon as he opened his eyes. But Damon was asking him to open his eyes and the fear and worry that Stefan could hear in his voice, made it impossible for him to resist. Very slowly, he let his eyes flutter open.

"Hey," Damon said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Just peachy," Stefan croaked in reply, his voice cracking due to pain. Damon let out a little laugh; pleased that his brother could still joke even in his state.

"Do you reckon you could drink some blood?"

"I'll try," Stefan said trying to sound as if he wasn't secretly dreading the thought of drinking anything. Damon nodded and then as gently as he could, lifted Stefan into a sitting position. Stefan could barely keep in his cry of pain as fire shot through his chest, leg and arm.

 **Damon's POV**

Damon felt his heart breaking as he watched his little brother try to keep him from knowing that he was in pain but Damon was not fooled by his act and was acutely aware of the pain Stefan must of been feeling when Damon moved him. However, there was not a lot Damon could do until he had got some blood into Stefan and his brother had started healing.

Ripping open a bag of animal blood, he held it to Stefan's mouth, expecting his brother to latch onto the substance that his body should crave. But Stefan made no move to take the blood. "Come on brother. You need this," Damon pleaded with him. Stefan shook his head weakly, his eyes begging Damon to stop.

"Feel sick," he whispered.

"I know," Damon comforted, gently brushing a strand of hair out of Stefan's eye. He was shocked when he felt the intense heat radiating from his brother; this was certainly not normal! "Stef, you're burning up! You need this blood." But Stefan still refused to drink it, so Damon changed tact. He knew that Stefan would do almost anything for him so he decided to use that to his advantage to get Stefan to drink.

"If you won't do it for yourself; do it for me. Please!" urged Damon and sure enough, Stefan, albeit reluctantly, turned his head, opened his mouth and began to suck on the blood bag. He drank until the bag was half empty and then turned his head away.

"Please, no more!" Stefan groaned, already feeling as if he was about to empty the contents of his stomach.

"OK," Damon conceded, although he knew that Stefan really should have drunk the whole bag but looking at his brother's ashen face, he decided that what Stefan had drunk, would have to be enough.

"Stef, I really need to check out the damage, ok?" Damon began to gently lift up his brother's blood soaked top so that he could inspect the wounds that lay beneath. Stefan let out a whimper when Damon pulled the top away from a wound that it had been stuck to. "Easy," Damon murmured. "I'm almost done." When Damon had finally managed to peel the top from Stefan's body; he let out a gasp of horror when he saw the damage to his chest. It was covered in bullet wounds most of which had blood still leaking out of them.

"God, Stefan! What the hell happened to you?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "Was...wondering...the...same...thing...brother," Stefan replied, wincing as pain shot up his arm. Damon was even more horrified when on inspecting the wounds at a closer angle, he realised that most of them still had a wooden bullet lodged inside.

"Stefan, did you know that you had about 10 balls of wood inside you?" Damon asked, aghast.

"No...wonder...it...hurts..." Stefan weakly joked before letting out a cry of pain as Damon accidently pressed on one of the wounds. Instantly, Damon was there, carding his fingers through Stefan's sweat soaked hair.

"Sorry, brother." Damon soothed. "But they have to come out."

"I...know," Stefan replied, sounding uncharacteristically vulnerable. "It's...going...to...hurt...though...and...I'm..." he paused.

"What, Stefan?" Damon asked.

"I'm...scared!" Damon thought that his heart couldn't break anymore than it had already, but hearing Stefan sound so frightened, he was sure that it had broken in two. Before he could stop himself, he was siting next to his brother, gently pulling him into his arms and holding him protectively, trying not to aggravate any of his injuries.

"It's going to be ok Stefan, I will fix this!" Damon whispered into Stefan's hair. **"I promise!"**

 **Hey! Sorry for the delayed updating; I had writer's block! :D. Are you still enjoying the story? Any comments, good or bad, are always appreciated. I promise you will soon find out who attacked Stefan, so hang on in there. Thank you for all your lovely comments! Enjoy! :D**


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